World Series' make me nostalgic. I don't consider myself a "Super Fan" or even a fan at all. The sport seems to find a way to permeate our lives, and even if you don't like the game, I'll bet you know some of the players, or some of the big games.
I was introduced to the sport by my father, and we watched the '77 Yankees defeat the Dodgers in six games. It was East against West and through my father's eyes it seemed like a big deal, and I enjoyed it.
Almost 10 years later I am home from college and my parents have moved to Connecticut. Somewhere in there my father had changed his allegiance to the Mets. Together we watched that '86 team rack up some amazing numbers. When the last out of the World Series came, I watched in disbelief as pitcher Jesse Orosco tossed his mitt into the air in a fit of elation.
I have watched that clip 100 times since then and I swear that mitt goes up ...and it never comes down. I would dare anyone to show me different. I was so into that team and that season, but-
18 years later, in 2004, I had settled down and become a father married to a Red Sox fan. It was another enjoyable season with a memorable crescendo. It was, however, a little bittersweet because my father had passed away a year earlier. Having grown up in Boston, he would have really enjoyed that World Series.
Does that make me a fan? I don't think so. But, I am still waiting for Jesse Orosco's mitt to come back down.
The pictures above were found in a "dig" a few weeks ago. They represent a span of time when the sport was marketed and promoted to the public that engrained it into America's psyche. Want proof? Take a look at these covers and ads, which includes a letter to kiddies from the Bambino himself.
